the kids will take their monsters on
by seekingtomorrow
Summary: The 104th Training Corps is just a front. What are they really? They're a top-secret facility dedicated to the research and eradication of monsters. Series of slightly-related drabbles with assorted characters, each of whom specialize in the hunting of a certain beast.
1. zombies

**the kids will take their monsters on**

**SUMMARY: **A collection of various AUs centered around the theme of monsters as well as the act of hunting them. Assorted characters.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I wrote this particular chapter last night and right after, was inspired to do several more. Like "Let's Play Pretend", it's going to be a bunch of drabbles, but unlike "Let's Play Pretend", they probably won't be connected in any way. Just kids doing badass things. Hunting monsters, sniffing out witches, destroying ancient covens of vampires, fighting off zombies, etc.

**EDIT: **I've decided to alter the plot of this slightly. It still will be random drabbles, but they'll have something in common. But, there is no underlying plot. Like I said, badass kids doing badass things. THIS FIRST DRABBLE, however, is completely unrelated to the rest of the series. Or, you could think of it as a prologue of sorts if you want. Up to you.

The title of this series comes from Automatic Loveletter's wonderful acoustic album that I encourage everyone to check out because Juliet Simms (who was a contestant on the Voice!) has a wonderful voice.

**DISCLAIMER: **Don't own.

* * *

"And aren't you two just bunch of sunny fellows."

Mikasa Ackerman turned to Reiner Braun with a fearful expression on her face that was only heightened by the presence of the machete in her right hand and the gun strapped to her hip. "We're scavenging for supplies in the middle of zombie-infested territory. I'd be more worried if you were cheerful."

Reiner shrugged, switching his axe from hand to hand. "Hey, all I'm saying is that maybe you and Levi over here," he pointed to the shorter man who like Mikasa, had a blade in his hand, "should lighten up a little. You know, for group morale."

"We have plenty of morale," replied Levi smoothly. "The Yeager brat has enough morale for an entire city."

Mikasa threateningly stepped toward Levi, but was stopped by Reiner who thrust out the handle of his axe. "Hey," he said. "Let's save the fighting for the zombies."

"Exactly," said Jean Kirstein, who'd been made temporary leader of the group for this particular mission. He pressed a finger to his mouth. "Be quiet now. We're getting close."

The group snuck around the corner of an abandoned pharmacy. Their destination—a grocery store that looked unplundered—lay ahead. However, the place was teeming with zombies who staggered about. Some of the figures had missing limbs, dragging themselves along the ground using their shattered arms.

"Ugh," whispered Sasha Braus, her crossbow banging against her shoulderblades with every step. "It smells here."

Jean shushed the group. Pointing to a lower building near the store, he motioned to Sasha's crossbow. "Here's the plan. Since Sasha has the long-range weapon, she's going to take the high ground. Mikasa, and Levi are going for a frontal assault. Keep as many of them away from the entrance as you can. While you're doing that, Reiner will accompany Connie inside to grab the supplies.

"Once you've gathered them, get outside and send up a green flare. If there's an emergency, red flare. Black one for zombie blitz. Everyone clear?"

"Crystal," said Mikasa.

"And what about you?" Asked Levi, who was polishing his machete with the back of Reiner's coat. The latter didn't seem to mind too much.

Jean pointed to his rifle. "I'm a sniper. I'll be going with Sasha."

Connie, Sasha, and Reiner immediately put their hands together for a group send-off. Jean reluctantly joined, looking to Mikasa for back-up. She sighed, but put her hand in as well.

"No way," said Levi.

"Levi," said Mikasa, her voice low.

"_No way_."

"It's bad luck if we don't do it," said Connie. "Last time, we nearly lost Eren."

"That's because he was grabbed by a crawler," argued Levi. "That has nothing to do with _luck_—hey!" Mikasa had grabbed him by the wrist and added him to their huddle.

"Alright," said Sasha. "Team Asskickers!"

"That's our name?" Connie looked disappointed. "I was going for something cooler."

"Like?"

"Like the 'Demon Destroyers' or something."

"But the zombies aren't even demons!" And Sasha would have probably kept arguing with Connie if it weren't for Jean dragging her away by her crossbow.

"You ready for this?" Levi asked Mikasa once they'd reached the entrance. "Try not to choke up, newbie."

Mikasa spun her machete in her hand—a showy, if risky maneuver. A zombie took notice of them and began teetering toward them. Levi moved to take it out, but Mikasa was faster, dispatching the monster with a quick stab of her blade. Another approached her from the right and without even turning her body, she sheathed the machete, drew her gun and shot it through the head. As the bodies fell to the ground around her, she looked over at Levi with innocent eyes. "Try to keep up, will you?"

Not one to be outdone, Levi sprung into action, beheading zombies left and right without getting so much as a drop of blood on his face. "Oi, Ackerman," he huffed after cutting through the throat of a particularly stubborn one, "I killed four more than you did last time. I should be telling you to keep up, brat." He said the word without any venom; he knew that their faux rivalry was what really kept the two of them from succumbing to the hopelessness of their world.

"One, two, three," Mikasa pointed to the carcasses around her, "aaannndd four." She drove her weapon through the head of another zombie. "I'd say we're even now." She stood with her back to Levi, scanning the perimeter.

After what seems like hours of cutting and stabbing and shooting, Reiner and Connie finally appeared. Reiner's axe was red with gore, but his smile was bright and his knapsack heavy. Connie's grin was just as wide as Reiner's. "You guys done flirting, yet?" Reiner asked, heaving his weapon on his shoulder.

"We're not flirting," said Mikasa grumpily. Putting a hand to her ear, she sent up the green flare. From a rooftop nearby, Jean and Sasha responded in kind.

"We're competing," reasoned Levi. "I'm just trying to show Ackerman that experience trumps youth."

"Yow, keep that sex talk away from me," joked Connie. "I'm too young to hear this."

Levi rolled his eyes. "You little—!" He stepped forward, but faltered. A pair of clawed hands, bones poking out from rotted skin, grabbed him from behind and began dragging him backwards. Levi tried to reach for his machete, but in shock, he'd dropped the weapon.

Reiner immediately grabbed his axe, but it was too large and he would have injured or killed Levi in the process of saving him. Connie held up his gun, but the chances of him avoiding Levi were slim. Luckily, Mikasa had her machete in hand. Racing forward, she approached the zombie from the side and with a lethality she saved for special occasions, drove the blade into its head, only stopping when the walker stopped thrashing about.

Levi pulled the hands away from his neck, wincing. "Good save, Ackerman."

Mikasa yanked Levi's hands away from his neck, her eyes burning. Cupping his face with her hands, she turned his head to the left and then to the right. When she saw that there were no scratch marks, she sighed with relief.

"That was a close one," said Connie. "I thought you were a goner."

"Sorry about that!" Sasha called out as her and Jean drew closer to the group. "We would've shot, but we weren't within view."

"Ackerman was here," said Levi.

"Let's get out of here," said Jean. "Before any more zombies come."

Everyone nodded and began heading back toward their camp out in the mountains.

"Nice job, Ackerman," said Levi grudgingly. The two walked a little ways away from the rest of the group.

"You scared me," said Mikasa. "I thought you were going to turn."

"If I do," Levi's voice dropped, "you put a bullet straight through my head, you got that? Only you."

Mikasa nodded, knowing there was no use in arguing about this topic. "Same goes for me. The moment I get bitten, shot me. I'd rather die a human than a zombie."

"Won't be happening," said Levi. "You and your brother are like goddamn cockroaches. You're gonna outlive us all. I'm probably going to die before you brats."

Then, Mikasa kissed him. "Not gonna happen," she said, pressing her forehead to his. And with an uncharacteristic smirk that reminded Levi she'd probably been spending too much time around Jean, she picked up her pace and joined up with the rest of the group.

Levi touched a finger to his lips, partially turned on and more than a little pissed off. "Brat."


	2. vampires

**the kids will take their monsters on**

**SUMMARY: **The 104th Training Corps is just a front. What are they really? They're a top-secret facility dedicated to the research and eradication of monsters. Series of slightly-related drabbles with assorted characters, each of whom specialize in the hunting of a certain beast**.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I love doing this. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned my other fics. Though I'm having huge problems with Let's Play Pretend. But Shingeki no Pacific Rim is practically finished and all I have to do is hammer out the last few chapters and edit them.

THIS DRABBLE is where you can say the actual series starts. I have a lot of ideas for this, so I'll probably do werewolves next or something.

* * *

Upon first glance, the house didn't really look _that _haunted. Sure, the skeletal trees loomed over the cobblestone path and the crumbling stone of the archway gave off a sense of something otherworldly, but besides that, there was no indication that anything sinister inhabited this particular residence.

Parked roughly a block away from the estate was a black car, whose occupants were currently engaged in an activity that had little to do with their job. Or, so their boss would argue once they'd returned to headquarters.

Mikasa Ackerman wound her legs around Levi's waist and drew him in even closer. Grinning madly, she began to undo the top buttons of his shirt and probably would have if it weren't for the untimely interruption of his phone.

Groaning, Levi fumbled around for the cellular, finding it tucked inside Mikasa's boot. "What?"

"Are you in the house, yet?" Hanji's voice was practically dripping with excitement. "Can you bring me back some specimens? Please?"

"We're _not _in the house yet, shitty glasses," said Levi, cradling the phone between his shoulder and cheek as he attempted to straighten his clothing. Not that the monsters would care, but he did have an image to uphold. Beside him, Mikasa wiggled back into her pants.

"Shouldn't you be?" Hanjij asked curiously. "What else would you be—oh. Oh! _Ooohhh._"

Another voice chimed in. "Don't get the seats dirty!"

Mikasa shuffled over to Levi and snatched the phone out of his hand. "It's not your car, Jean."

Jean huffed. "Well, I'm the one performing maintenance on them." He could never stay mad at Mikasa for too long.

Levi took the cellular back. "We're getting dressed, okay? Stop freaking out. We'll load up and then head up to the house."

"Make sure you bring me back a souvenir," said Hanji. "Last time, you and Mikasa got so trigger-happy, there wasn't anything left. Not even a vial of _blood_."

"What can I say?" Mikasa shrugged. "Despite the fact that Eren isn't the best hunter, he is pretty good with explosives."

Levi snorted and pressed _END._ Stepping out of the car, he breathed in the crisp night air. There was something strangely metallic about the breeze; it was as if a great deal of blood had been spilt lately. "Vampires," he whispered. "They've hunted recently."

Mikasa stepped out beside him, stretching her arms over her head. "Obviously. Now then. Did you bring everything?"

Levi walked to the back of the car and popped the trunk. It was empty. However, he flicked a hidden switch and the false bottom opened, revealing a cache of weapons underneath. Practically smiling with delight, Levi picked out a pair of slightly modified Beretta 92A1's engraved with high crosses on both sides. He turned them from side to side, admiring the way that the moonlight glanced off the metal. The bullets he loaded into the gun were also engraved with tiny crosses; it was the perfect way to combat vampires. He also tucked several knives into his boots and pockets, just in case.

"Are you done fawning over your guns?" Mikasa finished examining the sides of her katana and sheathed it. The blade—a family heirloom usually passed down to the eldest son until Mikasa had proven that her gender would not hinder her incredible skill—had been forged in a sacred fire and then doused with holy water. The bottom of the hilt, like Levi's guns, was embossed with a small cross.

"Did you bring your shurikens?"

Mikasa nodded, pointing at various places on her body where she'd hid the throwing stars. Though her blade was deadly, the Celtic-cross shaped shurikens were a necessity in long-range fighting. She cocked her head in the direction of the looming house. "Should we go?"

Levi nodded and the two made their way up the hill, past the stone archways and decaying lawn. They paused at the door. Levi brought his guns up and motioned for Mikasa to go forward. With a hand on her blade, she gently pushed open the door. It opened to utter darkness.

Mikasa looked to Levi with a raised brow. _Every single fucking time_, she mouthed. "It's always dark like this. There's never anybody home." She put on her night-vision goggles, designed by Hanji to hunt for monsters in dim lighting.

"Of course not," said Levi. "If people knew that there was something inhuman here, they might have tried to take care of it. And that would be a goddamn disaster."

Rolling her eyes, she widened the crack and crept in. Levi followed, covering her back and adjusting his own goggles.

The foyer of the house had probably once been very beautiful. The double doors opened up to a grand staircase that branched off to two hallways upstairs. The wooden railings, now mostly rotted and crumpling, curved gracefully while a rusted chandelier hung from the ceiling.

"Where to?" Mikasa asked.

"I'll take the left," said Levi. "You go right?"

Mikasa nodded and the two quickly ran up the stairs and split up. Levi took the right hallway and found himself in what was probably once the master bedroom. Ratty curtains swayed with the breeze and Levi could the dust particles swirling. Grimacing, he cocked his guns and proceeded further into the room.

Meanwhile, Mikasa had reached the library. Or what was left of it. Several bookshelves were toppled over and the floor was littered with ripped pages. Mikasa stepped around the messes carefully, trying not to upset the piles of destroyed tomes. She saw a body slumped over by one wall. As she reached it, she used her foot to poke at it. Dead. Or, at the very least, unconscious. However, when she turned the body over and saw what remained of its face, she knew at once that this had been a human.

"Just to make sure," she murmured to herself as she drove her katana through its chest. Once the gristly deed was one, she whipped the blade through the air to sling off the blood and sheathed it. Strictly speaking, vampires couldn't procreate through humans. However, they could turn humans into ghouls and those weren't exactly pleasant. Only the 'queen' of a vampire hive could successfully turn a human, provided that the human was able to withstand the process.

As she headed deeper into the library, Mikasa noticed a grey slime that seemed to drip down the walls. "Shit." Looking up, she saw pods. Several pods dotted the ceiling of the library and as she gazed down the hall, she could only see more. "Levi," she said into her headset. "Looks like we have a hive." Then, she heard the gunshots. Withdrawing the katana once more, she ran out of the library and headed for the left wing.

On her way, a vampire swung itself from the banister to greet her. These vampires were nothing like the night creatures of literature. They had no human appearances. The creatures possessed no eyes, but had an acute sense of smell and good hearing. Slimy and grey all over, their fangs and claws were their primary weapon while their speed was nearly unmatched.

Nearly.

Mikasa threw herself at the beast and swung her katana. The blade whizzed through the air and cut through the sinewy neck of the vampire, detaching its head from the rest of its gangly body. The head fell to the ground with a wet _plop_, but Mikasa continued on.

"Levi!" She called out, following the sound of gunshots. Levi finally appeared. He seemed to be looking over his shoulder every few seconds and shooting into the backroom. His leather coat billowed out behind him. "Did you get my message?"

Levi nodded. "I think I've found the queen, too."

Standing with her back to her partner, the two surveyed the area. "Look up," said Mikasa, pointing to the ceiling.

Vampires dotted the top of the foyer. Some clung to the chandelier, while others used their talons to hook into various chinks in the rotting wood. Seeing the two intruders, they screeched.

Mikasa and Levi immediately activated their earplugs, preventing their eardrums from being damaged by the noise.

One by one, the vampires dropped to the ground. When the last vampire dropped, Levi opened fire. Every time a bullet shot from one of the barrels of his gun, a vampire fell. On the other hand, Mikasa let the creatures approach her, only attacking once they'd gotten close enough. She darted through the crowd, slashing and striking. Limbs fell to the ground. She whipped Celtic-cross shaped shurikens at the vampires hidden in the rafters. Though the weapons were small, they were sharp and if thrown with the right amount of force, they could cleanly cut through a vampire's neck.

And if Mikasa was unparalleled speed, Levi was pure strength. He hardly seemed to run out of bullets; every single one of them made their mark. When a vampire tried to sneak attack him from behind, Levi shot the beast through its head without even turning around. Another one flung itself at him, spinning in the air like some grotesque marionette. Levi—who'd intensely studied the movements of vampires—took a second to aim before he shot.

Finally, every vampire in the vicinity had been either shot to death, beheaded, or sliced cleanly in two. Levi calmly reloaded his gun while Mikasa wiped her katana on the dusty, blood-streaked curtains.

"Where's the queen?" Asked Mikasa. Her forehead was dripping with sweat, though she didn't seem at all very tired.

There was a thumping noise in the distance. The two straightened to attention.

A single vampire fell from the ceiling. Unlike the others, this one possessed a grace about it that marked it as infinitely more powerful. Its limbs were thinner, but made up for it in the length of its claws. This was the queen. She opened her mouth, fangs covered in blood, and screeched.

Levi was the first to shoot; a bullet that the queen easily avoided. Mikasa rushed forward and engaged the vampire. However, it deflected her blade with one of its talons. Jumping back, she flung a shuriken at it. The throwing weapon hit its mark, sinking into the torso of the queen. Her roar was terrible.

Levi took the opportunity to fire another round at it. This time, the queen was unable to avoid every single shot. Heavily bleeding, she hissed and clawed at them. Mikasa pushed in front of Levi, distracting the queen with her blade. While the two were locked in combat, Levi slid to the side and sunk another few bullets into the queen's undefended side, causing her to recoil horribly. Steadying the katana, Mikasa brought it upwards and severed one of the queen's arms. She slashed at Mikasa with the other, but it was a rash movement and Mikasa cleaved that one off too.

Undefended, the queen could do no more than to scream at the hunter. Mikasa kicked at her with a heavy boot and the queen toppled over. Levi smoothly stood up and looking over the carved-up body of the queen, he smirked. "Not so strong, are we? Tch. You vampires disgust me." He cocked the gun in his right hand to the side and put two bullets through her head.

"Better make sure," said Mikasa as she stabbed the katana through the chest. "Yup. She's dead."

"You always do that," said Levi.

"Never hurts to be certain," replied Mikasa, poking at the corpse with her toe. "Hey, should we bring this back to Hanji?"

"I'm not putting some shitty vampire carcass in the trunk. That's fucking disgusting."

"We can wrap it up."

"No way."

"Hanji will be disappointed," reasoned Mikasa. "She might even guilt us into helping her in the lab. We might have to reorganize her samples."

Levi shuddered, remembering Hanji's cupboard of monster parts suspended in neon green fluid. Each one was meticulously catalogued in Hanji's book of monster parts, but she needed someone to help her clean and change the chemicals from time to time. "We'll bring something smaller."

"The head?" Mikasa already had her katana embedded in the neck.

Levi grimaced. Walking over to one of the windows, he pulled down the heavy curtain. "You wrap it."


	3. vampires ii

**the kids will take their monsters on**

**SUMMARY: **The 104th Training Corps is just a front. What are they really? They're a top-secret facility dedicated to the research and eradication of monsters. Series of slightly-related drabbles with assorted characters, each of whom specialize in the hunting of a certain beast. Three: Levi leads a six-man team against a hive of vampires. Mikasa finds herself making a decision she may regret and Eren just likes exploding things.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This chapter was especially written for Rivamika week over on tumblr. Prompt was AU.

**DISCLAIMER: **Don't own.

* * *

The only phrase that came to Mikasa's mind when she realized the hive was expecting them was a resounding echo of "we're fucked". Normally, she wasn't one for swearing, but in this case, the situation definitely called for it.

"Cover each other!" Called out Levi, who was already standing back to back with Mikasa, a habit he'd picked up over the course of their many shared missions. He swung his custom-made Beretta 92A1's in either direction and pounded a bullet through the head of oncoming vampires. The slimy, eyeless creatures thudded to the ground, their heads a mess of exploded flesh and black ooze.

"Roger that!" Eren Yeager sprung to Mikasa's side, a grenade in each hand. With a wary look at a vampire approaching from his left, he pulled the pin off one with his teeth and threw it.

"On my way," said Reiner Braun, taking out another monster with his enormous bladed battleaxe. To his right stood Annie Leonhardt, whose whip lashed out with frightening accuracy. Electricity ran up and down the bladed wire, sparking off the embedded hooks. Bertholdt Fubar—the other member of their trio—stood just a little ways away from Annie, gunning down wave after wave of the creatures.

The six-man team had been assigned to the abandoned mineshaft when Erwin Smith—their commander—had received reports that it was currently being inhabited by vampires. His research teamed, composed of the scarily intelligent Hanji Zoe and Armin Arlert later confirmed these reports when they studied the activity around the area, noting that the rate of murders has increased exponentially, and only at night.

It was incredibly dark in the caves, which made Mikasa grateful for the night-vision goggles Armin had given them. Looking over at Reiner, Annie, and Bert, she noticed that they weren't wearing the goggles and while a part of her wanted to rely on her…_other abilities_, another part of her knew that she wanted—no, needed to cling to what remained of her humanity.

"They're closing in on us," said Annie, her voice calm despite the flurry of blood around her. The electricity from her whip cast her face in its odd light, making her eyes look more silver than blue.

"Circular formation!" Levi yelled. With the sort of smoothness that only came to professionals, the group stood in a circle with their backs to each other.

Mikasa sliced through another wave of vampires with her katana. As she whipped the blade through the air, the sharp tang of blood invaded her nostrils. Clenching the blade tighter, she absentmindedly ran her thumb over the engraved cross at the bottom.

"_They're just symbols_." Erwin had once told her, told them all. _"In the beginning, people thought that their God would protect them from these beasts, but vampires are Godless. You can't scare them with something they don't acknowledge. Vampires are like any other living beings. If you can spill enough of its blood, cut off enough of its limbs, it'll die. The crosses are just symbols."_

"Up above, Levi." Reiner warned.

Aiming his guns to the ceiling, Levi let loose another round of bullets. Due to the darkness of the area, not all of them hit their mark. "There's too many," he told the team. "And they're coming down fast. Split now!"

Annie jumped away just as another vampire crashed down in the exact spot where she was standing. She cracked her whip at the beast, winding the wire around its neck and pulling. The monster screeched as the electricity coursed through its body and with a wet noise, the cord cut through its neck and decapitated it. "Reiner."

"We can't do it now."

"If we wait, we won't get another chance to do it." Annie shaded her eyes from the bits of rock that flew at her, the result of another one of Eren's bombs.

"Annie's right," spoke up Bert.

"Not now," added Levi. "Only as a last resort. You too, Ackerman."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said, sidestepping a wild swipe from a vampire and retaliating with an upwards stab. "I'm doing just fine without it, anyways."

"Mikasa, watch out!" Eren warned his adoptive sister. Mikasa leapt out of the way and Eren threw a bomb right where she'd been standing. As the vampire converged onto the patch of rock, the bomb detonated. Mikasa dodged the flying limbs, grimacing as spots of blood landed on her suit. Luckily, the black would keep it from being too noticeable.

"Shit!" Levi uncharacteristically fumbled as he reloaded his gun. The ammo clattered to the floor below him and as he leaned down, a vampire took a swipe at his exposed back. Levi yelled as the creature cut through cloth and skin. He fell to the ground and tried to roll over, but the pain was too immense.

"Levi!" Mikasa moved forward, but Reiner was quicker. With a hearty swing of his axe, the vampire lay in pieces. Reiner picked up the head and bunted it, watching it sail into the darkness and knock a vampire off its trajectory.

"Watch yourself, Mikasa." Annie warned. "Watch Eren. It's dark in here and he's not going to be able to see so well."

Mikasa nodded, heading over to where Eren was. The boy was surrounded by a circle of vampires who were closing in on him. Mikasa knew it would be nigh-impossible for him to use any of his bombs; a detonation of that distance would hurt him as well. With a quick glance at Levi just to make sure he was alright, Mikasa gripped her katana with two hands and broke through the circle. Slicing through flesh and bone, she turned their attention to her, creating a long enough distraction for Eren to get away.

"Levi!"

Mikasa looked up. Levi was being carried, but not by any of them. A large vampire, the largest of them all, had Levi in her grip.

"It's the queen!" Bert aimed his rifle and fired, but she avoided the spray of bullets.

"Don't shoot." Reiner put a hand on the top of Bert's gun. "She's too fast and she might use Levi as a shield."

The queen opened her mouth—a gaping black hole filled with teeth the size of Mikasa's hands—and screeched. Every vampire in the immediate vicinity retreated, snapping at the hunters. Still holding Levi none too gently, the queen scuttled back into one of the holes adorning the side of the cliff face.

"Shit!" Eren stomped on one of the decapitated heads. Blood and grey matter oozed out from the skull, painting the bottom of his boots black. "They got Levi! Now what?"

Annie looked over at Reiner. "Now?"

"I guess so."

Bert nodded.

At once, Mikasa knew what they had to do.

Annie retracted her whip and it turned into a seemingly harmless cylinder. She handed it to Eren. "Hang onto this for me." Eren took the weapon from her, placing it in one of his many secure pockets. "We're going to take Eren to the center of the hive."

"We'll transform," added Bert. "It'll be a lot faster that way." Shrugging off his rifle, he passed it over to Eren.

Reiner walked over to where Levi had dropped his guns. Picking them up, he offered them to either Mikasa or Eren. "I'll take them," said Eren with a skeptical look at Mikasa's tight suit. "I have more pockets."

"Once we reach the center, Eren is going to rig this place to blow. While we're doing that, you get Levi and take care of the queen. When we're done setting up the charges, we'll contact you and arrange a meet-up," said Reiner.

"We have a spare change of clothing for you guys in the car," said Mikasa. "Should we meet up there?"

"Sounds good," said Reiner. His hands were already taking on a distinctly claw-like appearance and his eyes seemed luminous in the dark light.

There was a howl to her left. Where Bert was standing was a black wolf, long-limbed and almost mangy looking. His eyes were a bright green and the pupils were dilated. Another wolf stepped out from behind a rock to join him. This one was much smaller and more graceful looking, with silvery grey fur and sharp claws that clicked against the stone of the cave when she walked.

"I will never get over that," whispered Eren to Mikasa. "No matter how many times I see it, it always surprises me." He yelped as a cold nose made contact with his hand. A huge golden wolf, thick chested and far more muscular than the other two nudged Eren's hip with his head.

"I think Reiner wants you to ride him. Annie and Bert probably wouldn't be able to carry you."

"I think I should wait for you, first," said Eren. "To…you know."

"I won't look any different," said Mikasa.

"I'll wait," promised Eren.

Mikasa sighed and closed her eyes. When she was young, her parents were killed by the creatures and she was taken to their hive. Eren was the one who'd found her and foolishly challenged the queen. Obviously, he was no match for the beast. In the end, it was only pure dumb luck that allowed Mikasa to distract the queen along enough for Eren to drive a stake through her heart. After the battle, the two of them lay on the cold rock face and awaited death. Mikasa's back had been laid open by the claws and the queen had poured her own blood into the wounds. Eren sported bite marks on his leg.

Normal vampires weren't poisonous. However, the queen possessed a type of venom in her blood that, if injected into humans, would kill them.

But, when Levi and his crew found the children, they were alive. Barely. Eren was in better shape than Mikasa, who felt as if fire were coursing through her veins and skin was being prodded at with hot knives. After some time, the pain stopped and when Mikasa awoke, she found herself in the Scouting Legion headquarters, chained to a bed.

Erwin kept the two children, more so out of curiosity than anything else. Eren Yeager had shown immunity to the venom, while Mikasa was experiencing odd side effects. Eventually, after the two decided to join the Legion and was put through rigorous training, Erwin realized what Mikasa had become.

She was a vampire.

Not an ordinary vampire, but an odd human-vampire hybrid. Her senses were enhanced, as was her speed and strength. That part of her, Mikasa kept buried deep within, almost like another version of herself that if brought out, would also trigger her thirst for blood.

Mikasa opened her eyes. The irises were no longer a calm shade of grey-blue, but a deep maroon hue. "I'm ready."

Eren put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you soon." He began to climb on Reiner's back, but was stopped by Mikasa.

"Be careful," she warned. "I can't protect you this time and I don't want to see you get hurt."

Eren nodded, a smile quirking the corner of his lips. Pointing to the string of bombs around his waist, he told her, "I'll be just fine."

The wolves and Eren departed the main area of the mine shaft, leaving Mikasa alone. After they left, she unsheathed her katana partway and stood completely still. She could hear movement—not vampire movement, but loud, heavy footsteps—to her right. Immediately, she followed the source of the noise.

The cave sloped downwards, a dark twisting tunnel that Mikasa could barely see the end of. She heard a soft hissing noise and knew that if she wasn't careful, she would either be skewered by the sharp rocks, or turned into vampire food.

As she turned the corner, dodging underneath a jutting piece of rock, a vampire leapt out at her. Mikasa ducked, but the vampire was quicker. Pinning her to the ground, it snapped at her neck with its curved fangs. Mikasa jammed her sheathed katana into its mouth, preventing the creature from tearing her neck in half. The two grappled for a while until Mikasa managed to roll over, straddling the beast. Eyes shifting to a lighter shade of red, she grasped the head of the vampire with two hands and twisted it off.

She stood up and dusted off her outfit. Pulling the katana out from between the vampire's teeth, she carried on sprinting down the tunnel until she reached a large open area. The walls were dark stone, dripping with slimy water that gathered in shallow puddles. There was an odd stone altar in the middle of the cave and on it was a human being.

"Levi!" Mikasa called.

He stirred slightly and she let out a sigh of relief. So, he was still alive.

Relaxing slightly, she slowed her pace to a leisurely jog. "Levi?" She asked when she reached him. "You okay?" Turning him over, she noticed that he sported a couple of shallow cuts on his face, but other than that, he seemed relatively unharmed.

"I'm fine," he mumbled. His eyes darted to a spot above her and they widened. "Shit, Mikasa!"

Mikasa heard the hissing before she felt the blow. She hit the wall and slid to the ground, groaning slightly. The queen stood, slightly hunched over Levi. She dug her claws into the stone slab next to his head, clicking her fangs at Mikasa.

Shaking the bits of rubble out from her hair, Mikasa gave her body a moment to recuperate. When she felt that most of the wounds had closed, she stood up.

Her katana was on the ground near Levi. If she wanted it, she would have to get around the queen first. Shifting her body in a crouching position, she waited for the queen to make the first move. She did. With a flurry of claws, the queen charged Mikasa and swiped at the area where her head would have been. Mikasa dodged, sprinting toward the altar. Her hand closed around the hilt of her katana and with a smooth motion, she unsheathed the blade and held it pointed toward the queen. The queen leapt forward and brought its claws down. Mikasa deflected the strike with her sword.

They fought, exchanging blows back and forth until Mikasa was drenched in sweat and the queen was missing three claws off her left limb.

"Mikasa!" A voice crackled in her headset. It was Eren.

"Eren!" Mikasa gasped, her breath coming in harsh pants. "Are you okay?"

"I've planted the charges. We're going to get out of here. You gotta wrap things up now."

"Gotcha." Mikasa began to focus on the tiny details that she knew would aid her…transformation. The scent of blood in the air, heavy and metallic. If she darted her tongue out, she could almost taste it. The clicking noise of the queen's fangs, the sign of an oncoming fight.

Her eyes turned a bright, glowing red and if she reached back with her tongue, she could feel her canines grow just the tiniest bit sharper.

The queen, sensing that her opponent had undergone some sort of change, rushed her with renewed vigor. However, Mikasa moved quicker, quicker than any human could and sliced cleanly through the queen's body. When she emerged on the other side, she was covered head to toe in blood. Bits of flesh clung to her hair while blackish ooze dripped down her blade and legs. She dropped her katana and it clattered to the ground.

She ran over to Levi, who was climbed off the altar gingerly. "I think I twisted my ankle," he said through gritted teeth. Then, he looked at her. "Ackerman? Oi, Ackerman!"

Mikasa's eyes were still glowing red. She slumped over and began to breathe heavily.

"Hey!" Levi wrapped an arm around her, trying to lift her. "I'm right here! Ackerman!"

Mikasa's heightened senses, her enhanced strength and speed…it all came at a price. If she overexerted herself while in her vampire state, she needed a method of replenishment. Her head snapped up and she gave Levi a panicked look.

"You idiot," he murmured, cradling her. "You went overboard. You fought a vampire army and then took on the queen while like _this_. Come on, let's get back to headquarters and we'll get you a blood pack."

Mikasa shook her head, pressing her lips firmly together. She had a splitting headache and she could feel her canines growing longer and piercing her gums. She mimed stabbing something through her chest.

"No way," said Levi. "We'll get you out of here."

"I've gone too far," she whispered hoarsely. Her body was wracked with shudders. "I won't be able to turn back. You need to stop me."

Sighing, Levi pulled his cravat off. "Drink me."

Horrified, Mikasa shook her head. "I'd end up killing you."

"I fight monsters for a living. If I die early, I'm going down guns blazing. My C.O.D. isn't going to be because of some thirsty brat in a cave."

Mikasa still shook her head.

"Listen, brat. Do you have faith in me?"

Mikasa nodded, twitching as her head throbbed.

"Have faith in me right now. Bite me, Ackerman. I'm not letting you die and I'm not going to kill myself either."

With hesitant fingers, Mikasa reached for Levi's neck. He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her toward him. "Ready?" She asked, her fangs poised above his neck.

"Do it."

She closed her eyes for a brief second and bit down. Around her waist, she could feel Levi's hands twitch and grip on tighter. His warm blood filled her mouth and she could feel the fog in her head clearing.

From the moment that Mikasa sank her fangs into his neck, Levi felt, for some odd reason, a sort of high. It was a familiar sensation that he hadn't experienced since his stint as a drug mule in the underground world of Trost. Mikasa shifted slightly and he gasped, feeling more pleasure than pain.

Eventually, Mikasa pulled away and wiped her mouth. Her eyes began to dim and slowly returned to their usual colour. Levi looked a little pale, but he was conscious. Mikasa pushed a lock of hair away from his face and leaning down, she slowly dragged her tongue over the two pinprick-like wounds on his neck.

Levi inhaled sharply. Mikasa's tongue felt a little like a cat's, rough and warm. "Are you ticklish?" She whispered, her breath hot on the back of his neck.

"No. What are you doing?"

"Helping you."

"I don't need help grooming. I'm not a cat."

"It's to help heal the wound faster," explained Mikasa. Shuffling back, she put her hand on Levi's cheek. "You feel cold."

"I've lost a lot of blood so of course I feel cold." Levi tried to stand up, but he teetered slightly. Mikasa slid her hands underneath his arms and practically dragged him to an upright position. "Where are the others?"

"Planting charges," said Mikasa. "They're done now, so we should get going too." She moved to sprint out of the cave, but Levi was leaning too heavily against her.

"Slow down, brat."

Mikasa smirked—an eerie expression that reminded Levi she probably spent too much time around Eren—and her eyes flashed back to maroon. Bending down, she swept Levi off his feet, carrying him bridal-style. "Let's get going."

"Oi!" Levi struggled, but Mikasa's grip on him was too strong and she was moving too fast. "You're going to overexert yourself again."

Mikasa laughed and the sound echoed in the cavern. "Don't worry; I'm barely even applying myself. And besides, that's what I have you for."

When they'd reached the exit, Mikasa made for their vehicle. Seeing the rest of his team there, Levi grumbled until Mikasa finally let him down.

"Nice to see you showed up," said Annie.

"Your hair is a mess," said Mikasa, pulling a bloody canine tooth from Annie's golden locks.

"Like yours is any better." Annie ruffled Mikasa's hair, squinting as a cloud of dust settled. "What took you so long?"

"Eren!" Mikasa ran to her brother who was being bandaged by Reiner. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Eren nodded and hopped off the back. "Bloodsucker got me in the shoulder. Reiner said it might need stitches. Don't worry, though. It doesn't hurt that much anymore. I can't really feel anything right now, to be honest."

Mikasa glared at the stocky blonde, who shrugged in response. "I figured we were low on painkillers, anyways. Might as well use them up and ask for more when we get back."

"That's not how it works, Reiner." Chimed in Annie. "You should take a look at Levi, too. He seems a little peaky."

"You calling me little?" Levi growled, somewhat delirious.

"Nobody is calling you little," said Bert, the voice of reason. He shaded his eyes, still luminous green, and looked toward the west. "The sun is going to rise soon. We should get going."

Everyone clamoured into the truck. Bert sat shotgun to Reiner's (possibly illegal) driving while the rest of them piled in the back.

"Do you have the charges ready?" Asked Bert.

Eren held up a tiny remote. "Ready when you are!"

As the car peeled away into the sunset, the entrance to the mineshaft collapsed. There was a rumbling noise, the likes of which Mikasa could feel, even though she was in a car heading the opposite direction. "How many bombs did you use?"

Eren's grin grew wider and he gestured to his empty bag. "All of them."

"Even the fireworks?"

"_Especially the fireworks_."

"Why the hell do you have fireworks?" Burst out Levi.

Reiner let out a loud laugh which prompted Bert to start coughing. Mikasa tittered and even stoic Annie had a tiny smile on her face.

"Why not fireworks?" Eren looked like a puppy that'd just been kicked. "And you look pale. You lose a lot of blood?"

Annie's perceptive eyes turned to Mikasa who began blushing furiously.

Levi cleared his throat and turned to the window, watching as a mushroom cloud formed on the horizon. "We should be getting back now. Braun."

Reiner nodded and nudged Bert who unlatched the glove compartment. Inside was a myriad of wires and odd flashing buttons. He flicked one of the switches and underneath the van, a jet folded out.

With one hand, Mikasa held onto the door handle, bracing herself for the sudden burst of speed. She was just about to push a lock of hair from her face using her other hand when she suddenly felt someone grasp it. Levi—his head still turned to the window—gently squeezed her hand from underneath the leather jacket on her lap.

"You did well," he murmured to no one in particular, but Mikasa knew those words were intended for her. "Good job, Mikasa."


End file.
